18-pages PDF document

Silencing Music in Turkey
A briefing on the past 12 months
by the ‘Initiative for Freedom of Expression’
December 23, 2011
Murder on a Kurdish song
A young man named Gazi Akbayır was killed by a group of
people at a bar where he went for entertainment and demanded
to hear a Kurdish song in Zazan dialect, as daily Vatan wrote.
At the end of the song, a group of people attacked Akbayır.
Akbayır indicated that he had the right to listen a song in his
mother language. But the group assaulted him with knives and
later shot him while trying to escape with his car. He died on
the way to hospital.
There was another incident in Izmir in which a Kurdish singer
Emrah Gezer was killed by a cop in the near past. The
policeman who shot him had benefitted the “Provacation
redaction” on trial and acquitted.
3
December 30, 2011
Minister of Internal Affairs enlarges terrorism
Mr. İdris Naim Şahin, minister of internal affairs enlarged the
meaning of terrorism on his press statement he made on
December 26. ‘Terrorism is not only armed conflict. It is
sometimes psychological, sometimes scientific, sometimes on a
painting, sometimes in a song, sometimes in a chair at
university and sometimes in a civil society organization’.
How can they support terrorism? They can do it by painting,
by writing a poem, or an article. They are trying to demotivate
people who are active in preventing terrorism. They are trying
to walk around from the back door, and this back door is
İstanbul, İzmir, Bursa, Wien, Berlin, London, a chair in a
university, a guild, a civil society organization.’
Minister Şahin declared that they were not against arts:
“In the other hand we have unarmed side of terrorism. Some
sing songs with beautiful words. We are not against art but we
have to seperate these with care. There is a structure with
terrorism, preventetion of terrorism and conflict with
preventetor. We are aware of this psychological operation.”
4
January 20, 2012
Punishment for the pornographic(!) video clips
RTÜK (Radio-TV Supreme Council) gave a warning punishment
to Kral Tv for publishing the video clips of Teoman, Berksan,
Bengü and 6 other singers’ because they found those clips
pornographic. Due to the news on daily Milliyet, RTÜK
declared that these kind of video clips might hurt children and
those clips were broadcasted during day hours, without
warning marks. Video clips Teoman’s “Tek Başına Dans”,
Berksan’s “Beni Seviyor”, Murat Boz’s “Geri Dönüş Olsa”,
Bengü’s “Saat Üç”, Ziynet Sali’s “Bize Yeter” and Murat
Dalkılıç’s “Merhaba Merhaba” were mentioned in this
cathegory. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSma9cib5qo
5
February 12, 2012
Biletix* also investigates ‘terrorism’!
*(Biletix: The most popular central ticket selling company)
Recently, 6 university students were sentenced to 1 year to 13
years of imprisonment for “being a member of a terrorist
organization” when they sold tickets for Group Yorum in
Malatya. Biletix authorities told the organizers of Group
Yorum said before their Bursa concert that, “Biletix rejeced to
sell Group Yorum tickets because they supported a terrorist
organization”. The news was protested at websites and social
media.
Biletix took a backstep, declaring:
''There is no legal problem to sell concert tickets of Group
Yorum. We will do so happily in the future.''
6
February 24, 2012
Concert lawsuit against Mayor
Mayor of Pertek Municipality(Tunceli/Dersim), Kenan Çetin
was invited to a Group Yorum concert at Tunceli Atatürk
Stadium on the 10th of July last year. The Mayor is now
under investigation for attending the concert and for the
shouted slogans chanted and banners opened during concert.
Çetin is to be imprisoned up to 2 years for ‘praising criminals
and crime’ if found quilty. Kenan Çetin in his comment to
Evrensel finds the investigation ‘ridiculous’ and points to the
fact that Ministry of the Interior had to issue a permit for such
investigations and yet it was not been so in his case.
10 months imprisonment for singing
Erzurum 2nd High Criminal Court sentenced Kurdish singer
Hemé Heci with 10 months of imprisonment for “terrorist
organization propaganda” by singing at 2010 Newroz
celebrations in Kars. Heci said at the hearing “It was not
propaganda. The songs I sang should be evaulated as freedom
of expression”. Heci protested the decision and declared that
he would appeal.
7
March 8, 2012
3 more months in prison for singing
17 inmates of Kocaeli ‘T Type’ Prison have received
disciplinary charges of 3 extra months of inprisonment for
“singing and dancing illegally” by the warden. Even though
the release dates of Hatice Şahin and Doğan Şahin Ermiş were
here, they were not released. Hatice Şahin and Doğan Şahin
Ermiş were expected to be released on the 23rd and 24th of
February. İHD (Human Rights Association) Istanbul Office
received a letter from Hatice Şahin:
"I have been in prison nearly for 7 years. My sentence ended
on the 23rd of February yet I have not been released. The
warden started an investigation for singing in my native
tongue Kurdish. This is why I am still here. They say I will not
be released until the investigation is concluded.”
ÇHD (Contemporary Lawyers Association) İstanbul chair
lawyer Taylan Tanay observed this to be a “conditional
discharge”. Tanay says convicted are discharged conditionally
when they have stayed the ¾ of their sentences.
8
March 30, 2012
Attack on Group Yorum member in prison
Group Yorum made a written statement and announced that
detained member Seçkin Aydoğan was attacked at Tekirdağ
no.1, F-type prison. Group stated that Seçkin Aydoğan and
inmates Eser and Onur were attacked in the morning by the
prison director and guardians.
Aydoğan was arrested on December 16th and was on trial for
participating a press statement in Taksim Square, “shouting
organizational slogans”, violating the law no. 2911
(Demonstrations code), the Anti Terror Code article 7/2
(Propaganda for a terrorist organization) and Criminal Code
Article 314.
9
May 11, 2012
A new case against Pınar Aydınlar
A case was opened against singer Pınar Aydınlar, Group
Munzur members Özlem Gerçek, and Erkan Duman with
demand of 1 to 5 years of imprisonment claiming terrorist
organizational propaganda at Tunceli Munzur Festival.
Prosecutor stated that names of Ali Haydar Yıldız and İbrahim
Kaypakkaya -TKP/ML TİKKO members who died in 1973were mentioned in the songs titled ‘İbrahim’e Ağıt’, ‘Ali
Haydar’, ‘Kırmızı Gül’.
The indictment also claimed that a group among the audience
carrying photo-posters of İbrahim Kaypakkaya and Mao Tse
Tung, shouted slogens such as: “Ovacık martyrs are
immortal”, “Mahir, Hüseyin, Ulaş, fight until liberation”,
“Güler Zere is immortal”, “oppression cannot hinder us”,
“our leader is İbrahim Kaypakkaya” and turned the concert to
a political demonstration. The singer thanking the audience is
deemed as thanking the slogans.
The case is suspended for 3 years due to the 3rd judicial pack.
10
May 25, 2012
Kurdish songs on trial
Attending the ‘Meeting for a Qualified Health Service’
organized by Turkish Physicians Union on March 13, 2011,
student Zülküf Akelma and Pharmacology students Yavuz
Kılıç and Özgür Yıldırım were investigated for singing the
song ‘Herne Pesh’. Ankara 12th Criminal Court accepted the
indictment accusing the 3 students of making propaganda of
the terrorist oraganization PKK.
In fact Herne Peş is a historical song, appeared during the very
short period of Mahabad Kurdish Republic at northern Iran in
1946. Group Yorum interpreted the song in 1995 and it was
published with the apporval of the Ministry of Culture by a
stamp. This casette/CD is still on sale everywhere, being
performed on TV channels freely. The song was interpreted by
Şiwan Perwer in 1977.
11
10 months for 2 songs
İzmir 10th Criminal Court sentenced singer Çetin Güler and
bağlama player Metin Güler brothers, members of Koma
Çiyayê Munzur MKM to 10 months each for performing at
Newroz celebrations of 2011 in Gölmarmara county of
Manisa. They are accused of playing and singing the Berîtan
and Oremar and this was accepted as terrorist propaganda.
Metin Güler commented on the sentence saying “We asked the
judge how could singing songs be punishable and learned that
they were separatists songs. How can a country be divided
into pieces by singing songs?
June 29, 2012
Two years of imprisonment for singer Ferhat Tunç
Malatya No3. Criminal Court sentenced musician Ferhat Tunç
accusing him of making propaganda of the illegal MKP
(Maoist Communist Party) to 2 years of imprisonment for his
announcement in Tunceli on Mayday “I salute you all in the
revolutionary spirit of Deniz Gezmiş, Mahir Çayan, İbrahim
Kaypakkaya”. This time, not because of his song, but his
speech of announcing a song!..
12
July 20, 2012
Drink ban at the festival
A group calling themselves “Eyüp Community” declared their
opposition to a beer fest in the district. On Twitter
#eyüptebirafestivalinehayır hashtag (No to Beer Festival in
Eyüp) became the top of the list in TT (top Trend). Later
Yeşilay (temperance) society applied to İstanbul Governency
asking Efes One Love Music Festival at Santralİstanbul at the
weekend to be banned. The festival was banned 10 minutes
before the gates were to open.
During the Festival plain clothes policemen made sure there
were no selling of alcohol at the concert area. Riot police and
special forces were also present at the event.
13
Personal call by Erdoğan
PM Tayyip Erdoğan said that he personally called İstanbul
Bilgi University administrators and warned them. On a TV
interview, he said:
“The incident is about an event taking place at a
university. What is interesting is that I did not know the
restaurants there had received permits to sell cigarettes
and alcoholic drinks. How can this be in a University
venue? Are they to educate themselves there or to get
drunk? We have not closed down pubs or anything. They
can go and drink anywhere outside the campus. I called
the administration and expressed my concerns. The
constitution is there and how can the columnists defend
such a thing! Do they desire all our youth to become
alcoholics or what?”
14
August 17, 2012
John Lennon censored
TRT (Official Turkish Radio – TV) presenter interpreting John
Lennon song ‘Imagine’ played at the closing ceremony of the
Olympics omitted the “No religion too” line. And the
censured song became “Imagine, imagine there are no
borders, it isn’t hard to do, no killing or dying, imagine all the
people living life in peace.”
15
September 21, 2012
Singer’s ear, violinist’s finger....
Twenty seven people were taken into custody who wanted to
take İbrahim Çuhadar’s body, a member of DHKC died during
the attack at İstanbul Gazi police station. Among the detainees
a singing member of Grup yorum, Sema Altın’s ears were
bashed and has hearing loss at one. Violinist Ezgi Dilan
Balcı’s fingers were smashed and her limbs were injured
severely. The others were also seriously beaten.
The case was heard on 17 September 2012 with 9 of the
accused, Altın and Balcı among them, who were under house
arrest with the charge of terrorist organization’s propaganda.
Counselor Oya Aslan says house arrest for Grup Yorum
members is not different from imprisonment since they cannot
attend concerts and recordings. Periodical ‘Tavır’s owner
Bahar Kurt and ‘Yürüyüş’s reporter Musa Kurt are among the
8 who were arrested. Kurt’s charges are “photographing the
police, participating in events announced by the organization,
and being arrested before”.
16
October 19, 2012
First hearing at Fazıl Say case
On trial for his Twitter messages with the charges of “openly
scorning the religious values of the public” pianist Fazıl Say
was heard at İstanbul 19th Magistrates. The indictment
demands 9 months to 1.5 years of imprisonment for Say, who
denies the allegations. Say says his Twitter account is not open
to public which can only be accessed by his followers and
whoever wishes so should not follow it. he also said he does
not invite anyone to violent actions.
Before the trial, well known artists Selçuk Yöntem, Bülent
Kayabaş, Rutkay Aziz, Tarık Akan, Bedri Baykam, Orhan
Aydın and several NGOs and political parties gathered in
solidarity at the court gates with posters of protest like “FS is
not alone”, “Free art, free world”...
EU minister Egemen Bağış commented:
“If I were a member of the judiciary I would regard it as the
‘freedom of jibber jabbering for FS’ However to insult other’s
values to make ridicule of other’s beliefs can not be in the
rights for anyone”
17
Say tweeted sentences from poet Omar Khayyam(1048–1131):
"You say rivers of wine will flow, is the heavenly paradise a
pub? Each believer will get two huris yo say. Is it a
whorehouse? Have you noticed where there is a lousy, jerk of
a tabloid, scrounging clown they are all prudes. Is this a
paradox?”
“Muezzin finished the ezan in 22 seconds. Prestissimmo con
fuco! What’s the rush? Lover? Rakı table?”
“Think again, about what you are going to do in the name of
God, is it something to live for or die for or kill like a beast?
Hatay governor bans Concert
Proposed concert titled ‘People Against Imperialistic War’
organized by the ‘Hatay Platform Against Imperialistic
Intervention to Syria’ to take place on October 14 has been
banned by the governor. To perform were groups singing in
Arabic, Circassian, Kurdish and singer İlkay Akkaya.
The announcement made by the platform states the reason for
the ban as “National security and disrupting of public order,
safeguarding of rights and freedoms of others, and preventing
commitment of crime”.
18